They say that first impressions are lasting impressions, and writer Robert Harling dropped the ball when first introducing the world to Olivia Goldsmith’s characters. Right off the bat, the film’s three protagonists, Elise Elliot Atchison (Goldie Hawn), Brenda Morelli Cushman (Bette Midler) and Annie MacDuggan Paradis (Diane Keaton), were introduced in a way that made them appear terribly troubled beyond repair and even worse, everything was made to appear as if it was their fault. They were shown as catty, dependent on nearly everyone in their lives and as doormats to the men in their lives.
Presenting each of these characters as such miraculously dependent imbeciles forced audiences to view them as such for the rest of the film. The three characters spent the next hour and a half attempting to prove to the audience (and to themselves) that they were independent and had the ability to make their own way in the world. However, every bit of their journey through the film revolved around their ex-husbands.
Everything about the performances and the storyline appeared forced. It seemed incredibly clear that they spent the majority of the film making up for director Hugh Wilson’s detrimental choice to introduce these characters in the fashion that he did. Just as the characters were incredibly dependent on their ex-husbands and the rest of the characters in the film, the three actors were dependent on one another. The issue with this was the fact that they had terrible chemistry. Each actor: Midler, Hawn and Keaton, lacked the ability to hold any of the others up. They disappointed more and more as the film progressed, and the more time they spent together, the more the film fell apart. Diane Keaton’s performance was one of the worst I have ever seen. Every word out of her mouth was forced and over-exaggerated. As terrible as the film was, Keaton managed to drive it even further into its grave.
Every crevice of this film was filled with negativity and underachievement. The best thing that could happen to this film would be to have every memory of it burned and buried, never to be thought of again.
You should never watch this film. It lacked substance, humor and basically any qualities that make a good film.
Thank goodness I read this because I’ve been on the fence about watching it for days! Haha